Corpse-concealing stretcher



"Oct. 13, 1953 Filed NOV. 6, 1950 G. R. KNOPF CORPSE-CONCEALINGSTRETCHER 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR George R. K nOpf.

ATTORNEY Oct. 13,- 1953 KNQPF 2,654,897

CORPSE-CONCEALING STRETCHER Filed NOV. 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QL\\\\\\l INVENTOR I George R. Knopf ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE OORPSE-CONGEALING S'IIBETCHER George R. Knopf,Paterson, N. J.

Application November 6, 1950, Serial No. 194,262

2 la ms- 1 My invention relates to stretchers and more particularly tothe wheeled type for hospital and similar use.

In hospitals and other similar institutions, it is desirable, forpsychological reasons, to conceal from the patients therein the death ofother patients. Heretofore it has been the practice to transfer thecorpse from the bed to the morgue on a wheeled stretcher with the entirebody being covered with a sheet or the like while being transported.Obviously, almost any patient, without even being hospital-wise, uponviewing a stretcher with a covered body thereon, knows that someone hasjust passed away.

My invention overcomes the foregoing difllculties and disadvantages, itbeing one of the objects thereof to provide a stretcher which is soconstructed and arranged as to not only effec-. tively conceal a corpsebeing transported thereby, but in a manner indicative of an emptystretcher.

An important object of my invention is to provide a stretcher of theforegoing described character which is simple in construction, durablein use, efficient in operation, economical in manufacture, and capableof being used as a stretcher for transporting patients in the samemanner as prior art stretchers of ordinary construction.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of partshereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings fromwhich the several features of the invention and the advantages attainedthereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designatelike parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a perspective view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Figure 3 is an end elevation, partly in section, with the top being openand the bottom in raised position for receiving a corpse thereon.

Figure l is a detail sectional view taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modification.

In practicing my invention, as illustrated in the drawings, I provide astretcher comprising a boxlike frame or casing 6 defined by side and endwalls '5 and 8, respectively. The frame is supported in fixed relationabove a chassis or undercarriage having a quaternary of upwardlyextendingbars or supports 9- with a pair of the latter being secured tothe inner faces of each of the side walls 1. The bars 9 are securedtogether in spaced relation by means of longitudinally and transverselyextending rods l0 and with the lower ends of the bars 9 having swivellyconnected thereto wheels II whereby the stretcher can be wheeled fromone locality to another in the same manner as stretchers of ordinaryconstruction as exemplified in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,694,172.

The upper end of one of the side walls 1 has hinged thereto one side ofa cover II! which is adapted to be raised to permit access to theinterior of the casing 6 and closed to conceal a corpse therein and/orto permit the cover 12 to be utilized as a stretcher member forsupporting a patient thereon. Slidably mounted within the casing 6 is abottom or platform l3 which is adapted to support the corpse within thecasing, the sides of the platform being formed with slots for slidablyaccommodating the bars 9 to permit sliding of the platform relative tothe bars.

At the ends of the chassis, the transverse rods l0 have fixed theretogear housings [4 each having slidably mounted therein a rack bar I5meshing with a gear 16 mounted on a shaft ll journaled in the respectivehousing. The upper ends of the rack bars 15 have fixed thereto crossmembers l8 on which the platform is detachably seated. An operatingshaft 19 extends through both of the housings l4 and has fixed thereto,within the housings, worms 20 which mesh with the gears l6,respectively. By rotating the shaft !9, vertical movement is imparted tothe rack bars I5 through the worms 20 and gears 15 whereby the platform13 is raised or lowered within the frame 5 depending upon the directionof rotation of the shaft 1 9, the latter having attached to one endthereof a suitable crank 2| to facilitate its operation.

In use-assuming the stretcher has been wheeled to the bedside of apatient who has expired, the cover l2 opened and the platform l3 raisedto its uppermost position as clearly illustrated in Figure 3-the corpseis lifted from the bed onto the platform 13 whereupon the shaft 19 isrotated by means of the crank 2| to lower the platform to its lowermostposition as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. When the platformhas thus been lowered, the cover is closed and a sheet 22 is then drapedover the cover and about the sides of the casing 5 to effectivelyconceal the casing. As an added touch, a pillow may be positioned on thesheet and over the cover, as illustrated in Figure 1, for simulating theappearance of an empty stretcher. When the corpse is contained withinthe casing with the sheet and pillow thus arranged, the stretcher may bewheeled through the hospital without giving any indication, especiallyto patients, that someone has just expired and is being moved to themorgue.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 6, theplatform 50 is supported on a pair of transverse cross members 5| eachhaving pivoted thereto ends of a pair of levers or links 52. Theopposite ends of the links 52 are pivotally connected to sleeves 54arranged in axially confronting paired relation with the sleeves of eachpair being right and left-hand interiorly threaded and mounted oncorrespondingly threaded sections, respectively, of an operating shaft55. Rotation of the shaft 55 in one direction serves to move the sleevesof each pair towards each other to effect raising of the platform byelevating the links 52. Rotation of the shaft 55 in the oppositedirection causes the lowering of the links by reverse movement of thesleeves 54.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain theinvention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service. Moreover, it isnot indispensable that all the features of the invention be usedconjointly since they may be employed advantageously in variouscombinations and subcombinations.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined to the herein describeduse therefore as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it isadaptable, It is therefore to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the specific construction as illustrated and described, asthe same is only illustrative of the principles involved which arecapable of extended application in various forms, and the inventioncomprehends al1 construction within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a stretcher construction, a body supporting member, anundercarriage, a corpseconcealing casing interposed between said memberand said undercarriage and having sides and I an open top, saidundercarriage having upwardly extending supports fixed to said casingfor mounting the latter above said undercarriage, said casing having aplatform slidably mounted therein between said sides and constitutingthe bottom wall of said casing for supporting thereon a corpse forconcealment within said casing, elevating means carried by saidundercarriage and connected to said platform for raising the latter to araised position within said casing to facilitate loading and unloadingof said corpse onto said platform, said body supporting member beingpivotably connected to said casing and normally disposed in a closedposition over said top for supporting a body thereon and closing saidtop, said body supporting member being pivotable from said closedposition to permit said loading and unloading, said body supportingmember being equipped with masking material draped about said'sides formasking said casing from view when said body supporting member is insaid closed position.

2. In a stretcher construction, a body supporting member, anundercarriage, a corpseconcealing casing interposed between said memberand said undercarriage and having sides and an open top, said casingbeing carried by said undercarriage and having a platform slidablymounted therein between said sides and constituting the bottom wall ofsaid casing for supporting thereon a corpse for concealment within saidcasing, elevating means mounted on said undercarriage subjacent saidcasing and con nected to said platform for raising the latter to araised position within said casing to facilitate loading and unloadingof said corpse onto said platform, said body supporting member beinghinged to said casing and normally disposed in a closed position oversaid top for supporting a body thereon. and closing said top, said bodysupporting member being pivotable from said closed position to permitsaid loading and unloading, said body supporting member being coveredWith a covering extending thereover and draped about said sides formasking said casing from view when said body supporting member is insaid closed position.

GEORGE R. KNO-PF.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,054,416 Hudry Feb. 25, 1913 1,175,005 Mills Mar. 14, 19161,254,742 Svanda Jan. 29, 1918 1,321,905 Gannon Nov. 18, 1919 1,500,858Woods July 8, 1924 1,689,183 Davoran Oct. 23, 1928 1,694,172 GallowitzDec. 4, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 22,728 Great BritainOct. 13, 1896 518,797

Great Britain Mar. 7, 1940

